Tuesday, July 14, 2009

storytelling:chapter 2 out of sight, not out of mind~part 4

...continued from storytelling:out of sight, not out of mind-part 3

We have a second bedroom, my walk-in closet. I like to act as though I have a formal dressing room in our house, that overlooks the Hudson River. It has two closets that are adjoined as one, from wall-to-wall, each having it's own closet door, typical of the 1930's. It has faceted glass doorknobs and antique glass clothing hooks behind each door. There is an old mirror on the outside of the closet door closest to the wall, attached by beveled glass fasteners. The interior of the closet is of cedar from floor to ceiling, with a sturdy pipe fixture used as a rod to hold clothing that stretches from one end of the closet to the other. Three 8 foot horizontal shelves are above the clothing rod. Each shelve is neatly arranged with handbags that are carefully blanketed and stored in bag-like shoe covers. On the carpeted closet floor are stacks of shoe boxes, labeled with a description and sorted for easy accessibility. The count is well over 100 pairs in the closet alone.

The clothes hanging in the closet are arranged accordingly. The left hand side of the closet is for blouses. The progression, beginning from left (wall) to right (middle of the closet) are long sleeves to short-sleeves to sleeveless, color coordinated. The closet on the right is used for dresses. The center to right wall would be~summer, casual, short dressy and long evening, color coordinated and all of which are covered by garment bags.  

In the room itself, there are three rolling racks in the bedroom, a tall antique dresser, matching vanity with a moon shaped mirror and bench. Nicely camouflaged  behind two of the rolling racks are stacks of large plastic bins full of neatly folded clothing that are color coded and labeled on the outside of each bin and hordes of make-up. One rolling rack are for coats. The upper portion of the second rolling rack are several wooden hangers of jeans, slacks and dressy jackets. The lower used for casual jackets. Shoved underneath the two rolling racks are more shoe boxes, suitcases and hat boxes. The third rolling rack are clothes that need to be ironed. I hate ironing!

I guess you could call me a fashion whore. I am. I love clothing and everything that goes with it. I love to shop for clothes. I've had a love for fashion and clothing since I was a child. I use to be a costume designer, stylist and make-up artist. I use to have more clothing than what is in this very room at one time or another. I could have and should have opened a re-sale boutique. My clothes were not cheap, but I don't spend thousands of dollars on clothes either. They are lovely pieces of art that someone designed and made. Someone that has a love of fashion and clothing, like me. However, each time I move, it becomes a chore and also very emotional to sort through, but I do. Trying to get rid of as much as I can and keeping what I think will be worth saving~a classic piece or "this will be back in style one day" or "one day I will fit into this again" and even the "I can't get rid of this because it reminds me when...." moment. 

I will spend a total of three weeks going through and trying on every single article of clothing, placing every single pair of shoes on my feet and walking around the house and standing in front of the full length mirror in the living room, like a little girl, trying on mommy's heels. Opening every plastic bin as heavy and dreadful as it was, folding and refolding clothes and sorting through bins of hair and make-up stuff. Many, many hours and days of sweat, tears and down right balling. It was disheartening, trying on clothes that no longer fit or that I would dare part with. I had to psych myself into think "c'mon now, are you really EVER going to wear that mini skirt or pair of hot pants again?...and what about all the latex wear I use to wear, but no longer have the use for because I don't work any of the clubs anymore or even go to clubs any more. I would literally have to have a talk to myself and say "AM I REALLY, REALLY DEEP DOWN INSIDE, TRULY EVER IN MY EVERLASTING WHOLE LIFETIME GOING TO EVER WEAR THIS AGAIN? REALLY NOW, CIN. WAKE UP AND GET REAL!!!!"

I had to convince myself, that if I'm going to make a major move to a completely different lifestyle, I would have to take a deep breath and let it go. And with that being said, I did. But not everything. A girl has got to have to have her things to keep her happy no matter where she goes. Am I right?

to be continued...

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